APRIL
Florida Film Festival
April 6-14, 2018; Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland; 407-629-1088; floridafilmfestival.com
Whether you're a fan of dramas, comedies, documentaries or shorts, the Florida Film Festival has it all.
Florida Music Festival
April 12-14, 2018; downtown Orlando, multiple venues; floridamusicfestival.com
A downtown music festival geared toward artists looking to break into the major-label industry.
Whiskey Business
April 27, 2018; Cheyenne Saloon, 128 W. Church St.; whiskeybusinessorlando.com
At this upscale and sophisticated event, guests can sample their way across continents to discover the best scotches, bourbons and whiskeys.
MAY
Orlando Fringe
May 15-28, 2018; Loch Haven Park, 777 E. Princeton St.; orlandofringe.org
Thespians from all over the world descend on the theater complex at Loch Haven for two weeks of performances.
Beer 'Merica
May 19, 2018; Gaston Edwards Park, 1236 N. Orange Ave.; orlandoweeklytickets.com
Celebrating American Craft Beer Week, this daylong beer festival on the shore of Lake Ivanhoe spotlights more than 100 varieties of American craft brews, along with live music, games and giveaways.
MegaCon
May 24-27, 2018; Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Drive; megaconorlando.com
Central Florida's largest comic and media convention brings in big names from the worlds of television, film, comics and more for a huge celebration of pop culture.
JUNE
Gay Days/One Magical Weekend
May 29-June 4, 2018; multiple locations; gaydays.com; onemagicalweekend.com
Organized trips to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando resorts during the day, themed parties every night.
Bite30
June 1-30, 2018; multiple locations; bite30.com
A monthlong celebration of the best food Central Florida has to offer, with special prix fixe menus at each participating restaurant.
Bite Night
June 25, 2018; Orchid Garden, 126 W. Church St.; bitenightorlando.com
Bite Night transforms the historic Orchid Garden Ballroom into a foodie wonderland featuring samples from more than 20 of Orlando's best-loved chefs and restaurants.
JULY
Fireworks at the Fountain
July 4, 2018; Lake Eola Park, North Eola Drive and East Robinson Street; cityoforlando.net
Nothing says patriotism like the "oohs" and "ahhs" elicited by the choreographed firework and light show at Lake Eola each year.
Tacos & Tequila
July 14, 2018; Cheyenne Saloon, 128 W. Church St.; tacosandtequilaorlando.com
Peak-taco deniers get to try dozens of takes on everyone's favorite Tex-Mex one-handed treat – along with plenty of tequila and cerveza.
AUGUST
Best of Orlando
Aug. 22, 2018; The Beacham, 46 N. Orange Ave.; orlandoweekly.com
Annual party in honor of Orlando Weekly's Best of Orlando winners. If you snag a ticket to this exclusive party, congratulations: We like you.
SEPTEMBER
United We Brunch
Sept. 8, 2018; Orchid Garden, 126 W. Church St.; unitedwebrunch.com
Orlando's top brunch destinations unite for one big day party featuring unlimited brunch tastings and an open bar.
Halloween Horror Nights
Sept. 14-Nov. 3, 2018; Universal Studios, 6000 Universal Blvd.; halloweenhorrornights.com
This year's Halloween Horror Nights features a Stranger Things house, and that's probably all you need to know.
The Great Orlando Cocktail Party
Sept. 29, 2018; Location TBA; orlandoweekly.com
A celebration of Orlando's craft cocktail scene, with samples from the city's best bars and speakeasies along with live entertainment.
OCTOBER
Come Out With Pride
Oct. 13, 2018; Lake Eola Park, 512 E. Washington St.; comeoutwithpride.com
Our favorite downtown parade party celebrates the LGBTQ community.
Big Gay Brunch
Oct. 13, 2018; The Abbey, 100 S. Eola Drive; orlandoweekly.com
Before the big gay parade, come eat and drink with Orlando Weekly and check out surprise performances at our big gay brunch.
Orlando Film Festival
Oct. 18-25, 2018; Cobb Plaza Cinema Café, 155 S. Orange Ave.; orlandofilmfest.com
The Orlando Film Festival has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, and now brings hundreds of independent films and filmmakers downtown for a week of screenings, panels and parties.
Creative City Project: Immerse
Oct. 19-20, 2018; Downtown Orlando; creativecityproject.com
Immerse offers up a whole weekend of live performing arts scattered throughout public spaces in the heart of downtown Orlando.
Spooky Empire
Oct. 26-28, 2018; Caribe Royale Orlando, 8101 World Center Drive; spookyempire.com
This convention for horror fans descends on I-Drive, bringing actors, musicians, makeup specialists, tattoo artists and more for a ghoulishly fun weekend.
Central Florida Veg Fest
October, 2018; Festival Park, 2911 E. Robinson St.; cfvegfest.org
Chow down on some cruelty-free cooking at this event for vegetarians, vegans and open-minded omnivores. Learn about veg living and get an up-close look at some of the animals spared when you opt for a salad instead of a Baconator.
NOVEMBER
Orlando Beer Festival
Nov. 10, 2018; Festival Park, 2911 E. Robinson St.; orlandobeerfestival.com
Orlando's only large-scale legitimate craft beer festival that attracts brewers and guests from all over Florida.
Florida Blue Florida Classic
Nov. 18, 2018; Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place; floridaclassic.org
Annual football game between Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A&M.
DECEMBER
Sweet and Savory
Dec. 1, 2018; Location TBA; orlandoweekly.com
A night of desserts, drinks and delicious dishes, served up by top local and regional artisans.
Christmas in the Park
Dec. 6, 2018; Central Park, North Park Avenue and West Morse Boulevard, Winter Park; morsemuseum.org
The Morse Museum decorates Central Park with stained glass windows and the Bach Festival Choir performs a Christmas concert.
Grandma Party Bazaar
December 2018 (date TBA); Stardust Video & Coffee, 1842 E. Winter Park Road; stardustie.com
Handmade crafts from local artisans and live music from local bands make this our favorite stop for holiday shopping.
JANUARY
Zora! Festival
January 2019 (dates TBA), downtown Eatonville, Kennedy Boulevard, Eatonville, zorafestival.org
Eatonville's most famous writer gets a festival in her honor every year featuring live music, arts and educational activities.
Citrus Bowl
Jan. 1, 2019; Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place; floridacitrussports.com
The Citrus Bowl plays host to top college teams every New Year's Day.
FEBRUARY
Lunar New Year Dragon Parade
February 2019 (date TBA), Fashion Square Mall, 3201 E. Colonial Drive, centralfloridadragonparade.org
Formerly taking place in Mills 50, this Lunar New Year celebration got so big that it had to move to the Fashion Square Mall in 2015.
Orlando Chili Cook-Off
February 2019 (date TBA); Festival Park, 2911 E. Robinson St.; orlandochilicookoff.com
This event brings the heat with more than 100 different types of chili to sample, the World Chili Eating Championship competition, live music and more.
MARCH
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
March 2019 (dates TBA); Central Park, Winter Park; wpsaf.org
Browse through booths from tons of artists and vendors at one of the country's oldest, largest and most prestigious juried art festivals.
Art31
March 2019, multiple locations, art31.org
The Art & History Museums – Maitland sponsors this monthlong celebration featuring internationally acclaimed artists every year.
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
March 2019 (dates TBA); Sunshine Grove, Okeechobee; okeechobeefest.com
The annual Okeechobee Fest is the area's biggest international music festival, drawing thousands to the swamp for four days of fun.
